On a break from Celtic weaving

I will not be continuing to write this blog for a while, because I'm moving into some new projects, including tapestry and rugs. If you have any questions or comments about all these interesting projects and ancient textiles, please post them and I'll still reply. Thank you to all the readers and followers who have shared my …

Sprang

The word Sprang is originally from the Swedish language (meaning to spring or jump) and it refers to a unique kind of textile.  It’s neither weaving nor netting - it’s more like a type of braid. Sprang is created when warp threads are systematically twisted around one another, and as a result looks a bit …

Nålbinding – learning to knit like a Viking

In Danish the word means ‘needle-binding’.  And judging by some of the photos that you can find on Pinterest, there’s been quite a rediscovery of this technique by modern crafters. Nålbinding predates our modern knitting and crochet by more than a thousand years.  It’s a method which requires the yarn to be threaded through the …

The ancient (and modern) practice of sharing yourself through craft

Anthropologists and archaeologists are often interested in how research from a related field can bring new insight, especially on the level of theory.  And this has come home to me in the past few weeks while I’ve been attending a series of lectures about the art and literature of the English Renaissance. The reason I’m …

Creativity and Inspiration

Creativity For as long as textiles have been created - whether by braiding, felting or weaving - craft-workers have been combining the functional requirements of the cloth with creative ideas.  This may have been to enhance the textile's warmth or strength, to introduce different fibres, or to change the look of the textile with new dyes, pattern weaves, manipulation or sewing techniques, …